


A for Effort

by Red (Red_Balloons)



Series: Things are Going South [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Gen, Kara cameo, Markus is Directionally Challenged
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21529822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Balloons/pseuds/Red
Summary: Markus has trouble navigating.This is North's thoughts and experiences with that. (Plus some more.)
Series: Things are Going South [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1551688
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	A for Effort

The first time North noticed her friend's lack of direction, they'd been children walking through the woods. They'd been separated (her fault, she'll fully admit) from Markus's father and their other friends, Simon and Josh. It took her twenty minutes total to see it, and fifteen to prove it by marking stumps and trees with the knife she'd been given at the start of the trip.

She never told Markus she knew. It felt weird to talk about it then, if she was honest. Like she was making fun of her friend for something he couldn't really fix; if he spent years living without Carl's fancy gear and survived, he must know he's poor with directions and had figured out how to get around it. Right?

Adult North kind of...wanted to answer that with 'wrong, oh so wrong' as she read an article about a man mysteriously stumbling into an active construction zone. It sounded so much like how Markus had explained his most recent mishap - with the clothing colors and cut upon his hand and all - that she _had_ to ask about it in their group chat. (Because if she was right and this article was about Markus, she wasn't the best person to yell at him. She herself was very...odd about some things that could be dangerous if done wrong - her tendency to _climb_ everything being the biggest - so she had no room about Markus's proclivity to get passed barriers meant to keep people out. Josh and Simon on the other hand... Those two were the moral compass and common sense, respectively, of the four of them. They'll know how to tell Markus off.)

> **nonch**  
>  _[attacked link]_  
>  is this you markus?
> 
> _**brain-anxiety**_  
>  asjdahl  
>  What the hell, Markus?
> 
> _**golden puppy**_  
>  Markus?  
>  :')
> 
> _**yeet**_  
>  1: What the hell is my name now?  
>  2: That sounds like the place I was at, so probably? Wouldn't be surprising to me if it was actually about me. It isn't the first article about my appearances in places I should be in.  
>  3: How does one change their name?
> 
> _**nonch**_  
>  I hld that power yeet
> 
> _**yeet**_  
>  well fuck  
>  youre gonna do that to me?  
>  why yeet?  
>  North-
> 
> _**golden puppy**_  
>  :')  
>  Because you yeet common sense in the face.
> 
> _**brain-anxiety**_  
>  SIMON  
>  alwdhkas
> 
> _**nonch**_  
>  nice one si!  
>  Though it is p tru  
>  Markus doesnt not yeet common sense  
>  in the face  
>  with steel toed boots
> 
> _**yeet**_  
>  icanonlyseesimonasthepersongettingkickedintheface
> 
> _**brain-anxiety**_  
>  MARKUS THAT'S RUDEAKLHDWLAKNsklndaewfkja
> 
> _**golden puppy**_  
>  That's hurts, Markus. Why me?  
>  And Josh, since you apparently murdered him.
> 
> _**yeet**_  
>  SIMON IS THE ONE WITH COMMON SENSE OUT OF US ALL  
>  And I'm not mad about the Josh Murder. I'm pretty proud of it. He deserves it.
> 
> _**nonch**_  
>  ...why?
> 
> _**brain-anxiety**_  
>  It's the lunch thing isn't it?
> 
> _**yeet**_  
>  Yes, it's the lunch thing.

North sighed to herself, tugging at her beanie as she let her phone hit her stomach. She needed more female friends. That was the only thing she got from that conversation. She shook her head at the thought - sometimes she wondered why she stuck with these three idiotic boys.

When she looked at her phone and saw Simon trying to get Markus to forget about the 'lunch thing' without outright asking what had happened, she realized.

_Oh, that's why._

* * *

The second time North realized her friend has an issue with directions, they had been paired up in sophomore year for a geology class project. They had been tasked with looking for at least ten types of rocks in their neighborhood - which was hard enough as is, since North lived in an apartment complex and Markus was firmly in the Manfred mansion forty minutes away from her. They ended up deciding on going to Markus's _childhood_ town, three hours out from where they had lived, and didn't take any form of GPS from Carl when they left.

It was just her and Markus, in a car, trying to get to a tiny town based on Markus's memory.

Three hours dragged into five.

North hadn't wanted to murder Markus more than she had at that moment.

(It was worse than one might think because this was before smartphones were released. It was an actual GPS machine or a map, that they had at their disposal, and Markus had refused both, saying "we'll be fine, I know how to get there." On the way back, North _called_ Simon and had him direct them back home. Like fuck was she could to spend another five hours trying to get back home, in the _dark_ no less.)

She hadn't brought up his lack of directional instincts then, either, but only because she'd been so pissed with him.

It was that moment, though, that had her and Simon fully against having Markus plan their vacations. When they'd told Carl to keep his son from vacation plans, he'd laughed himself sick. (Well, not _sick_ , but into a coughing fit. Markus's confused worry was hilarious, though.)

* * *

She didn't the chance to talk to Markus about it in depth until they were already adults with paying jobs and strict schedules. And to _do_ that, she'd had to make things awkward by bringing up old topics again.

> _**nonch**_  
>  so  
>  are we agreed?  
>  Markus isn't all that great with directions?
> 
> _**ban-ban-ban**_  
>  Yeah.  
>  Also why the name?  
>  I don't get it, North.
> 
> _**steeltoedmess**_  
>  I get it. It isn't funny. Josh isn't 'banned', he's dead.
> 
> _**ban-ban-ban**_  
>  alsdhaw  
>  w h a t ?
> 
> _**golden puppy**_  
>  I love how both Josh and Markus got name changes.  
>  But yes, I agreed, Markus sucks with directions.  
>  Very old school "I can do it without directions" and it shows.
> 
> _**steeltoedmess**_  
>  I hate you both
> 
> _**ban-ban-ban**_  
>  no you don't
> 
> _**golden puppy**_  
>  No you don't.
> 
> _**nonch**_  
>  no you don't

North snorts at the gif Markus sent them. The long-haired cat reacting in anger over something was very him, if she had any say to it. Then she pauses and grins widely to herself.

> _NONCH has changed STEELTOEDMESS's name to ANGRY CAT_
> 
> _**angry cat**_  
>  NORTH
> 
> _**ban-ban-ban**_  
>  asldhawakskd
> 
> _**golden puppy**_  
>  :')

With a yawn, North locks her phone.

Her computer screen brightly mocks her, the word document only half-filled with words. She had four more pages to go before the review she'd been commissioned for hit the required length. Which meant she had four more products to test out tomorrow. Which was...awesome.

Gave her something to do tomorrow, at least.

Though scouring the internet for further reference to Markus's adventures was also a good way to spend her time. It's fun sending the links through the chat for Simon and Josh. And then seeing them try and get him to explain how he accidentally entered such a building or situation - turns out, he's impatient. Who knew?

With another yawn, North saved what she'd done today and closed her laptop. Time for bed - at three in the morning...

God, taking that commission was such a bad idea. Getting drunk and spending all the money she'd had before was a bad idea. Yet she did both.

"Fuck."

* * *

Some part of North had expected it to happen eventually.

Markus, and everyone's inability to realize it is him, was a cryptid without having tried all that hard to become one.

He is also a cryptid with a _following_. What the fuck is wrong with the world today that this is how they entertain themselves? (North knew - boredom sucks. Still weird as hell to see the newest Markus Adventure _trending_ on Twitter.)

"You okay?"

North blinks hard a few times before tipping her head back to meet the curious, worried stare of the woman who'd approached her. "Yeah, just baffled at the stupidity of the world."

Okay. That smile's something.

"That's understandable; the world can be very weird and dumb when it wants to be. I personally try to avoid people like that though."

"Kind of hard for me, I adopted three dumbasses as best friends."

"At least they have someone to look out for them, no?"

North snorts. "Apparently I'm not doing that good of a job," she says, wiggling her phone. The laughter that falls from the stranger's mouth is...also _something_.

"Well, I wish you luck." The blonde waves with one last smile gracing her lightly blushing face.

> _**nonch**_  
>  I think someone just flirted with me.
> 
> _**angry cat**_  
>  Starcuk?
> 
> _**nonch**_ __  
> Fucking Starbuck!  
>  She was very pretty though.
> 
> _**ban-ban-ban**_  
>  You get her name?  
>  I'm taking your sudden silence as a no.
> 
> _**golden puppy**_  
>  Dumbass
> 
> _**nonch**_  
>  asdhlaksdnakwhdkjalejfhslkjdfahwloeufahw
> 
> _**angry cat**_  
>  Mood

North huffed and slid down into her seat, eyes darting about to see if the woman was still in the shop. That she'd only seemed to leave because she was with friends or something.

She wasn't.

" _Fuck!_ "

"Mood!"

"Shut up!"

A few people laughed. North flipped them off as she picked up her cup, jacket and bad and set for outside. She didn't feel like staying just then. Not with her failure so fresh.

* * *

It hadn't taken her very long to find Markus's response to the following - an Instagram account. The name was dumb, a reference to the Geo class many years ago now: _Three Hours._ She hated it.

But she also loved it. Markus was going _full out_ on trying to keep his face hidden with a hand-made mask. Jesus, it was one _Simon_ made for him back when he'd started his arts and crafts business.

The first post was iconic though, because it answered the age old question of why Markus got lost in the city so often. 'Trying to find a friend but said friend is always hard to find that I usually wind up back home without meaning to.' _And it's a picture of the Manfred neighborhood._

That boy's so dumb.

**Author's Note:**

> https://discord.gg/gsnGmk
> 
> Lunar - a fellow braincell from the discord server above, check it out if you love DBH and wanna get involved with the fandom - gave me this idea and helped flesh it out. Give them blame/praise for the idea; I'll take the blame/praise for the writing here.


End file.
